THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 211 



suitable, and after daubing some wet peat over the stem, sprinkle 

 the spores over it, or if more convenient, stick the fronds round the 

 stem. In a short time scores of young ferns will appear, the stems 

 will present the appearance of quite a column of delicate green 

 vegetation, and the stems will not be injured by it in the least. 



Very few kinds will suffice for one conservatory, because of the 

 space a well-grown specimen will occnpy. The most distinct and 

 effective are in my opinion, Alsopliila australis, Cijatliea dealbata, 

 and DlcJcso)iia antardica. If more are required, Alsophila e.vcelsa, 

 Cyathea Smitht, and DkJcsonia squnrrosa, may be selected with ad- 

 vantage ; the two selections comprise the finest six greenhouse 

 kinds at present in cultivation. 



LATE PEAS IN DRY SEASONS. 



BY GEOEGE SMITH. 



IT mav be said with safety that in dry seasons like the 

 present late peas do not afford an adequate return for 

 the labour and the expense for manure incurred in their 

 production. It is not sufficient that the peas are sown 

 in well-manured ground in the usual way, for, in all 

 probability, a considerable proportion of the crop will either perish 

 outright or come into bloom prematurely. I am obliged, in com- 

 pliance with the wishes of my employers, to maintain a supply 

 throughout the season, and in dry summers, I need hardly say, my 

 ingenuity is taxed to the utmost. In case any readers of the Eloeal 

 WoELD may be desirous of obtaining late supplies, I have prepared 

 a few notes on the subject, with the hope that they will be of 

 assistance to them. 



The main crop varieties, such as British Queen and Ne Plus 

 Ultra, are quite worthless for late sowing, and we are, consequently, 

 bound to fall back upon the early and second crop sorts. We make 

 two summer sowings — the first early in July, and the second towards 

 the end of the same month. I have found that for sowing at the 

 end of the month Jie'^^/^/i Invicta is one of the best, as it is pro- 

 ductive, and of fine colour and fiavour. Another good sort is Laxtori's 

 Alpha, an early wrinkled marrow, not quite such a good cropper 

 as the preceding, but it can be strongly recommended for sowing in 

 gardens where there is a decided preference for wrinkled marrows. 

 These, under the system of culture I have adopted for some years 

 past, attain a height of three feet, and require stakes. For culti- 

 vating without stakes, two of the best sorts are J\Ji/hum-in-Farvo 

 and Advancer. But in my opinion the dwarf sorts are not so profit- 

 able as the others, for it requires as much labour to prepare the 

 drills for them as for the taller sorts, and of course the crop is not 

 8*0 heavy. In sowing in the spring the dwarf sorts are all very well, 

 as they can then be sown in drills two feet or so apart on the level. 

 Eor sowing now, that is to say, the first week in the current month, 



July. 



